‘The driver was screaming’: rider breaks nose after car passes too fast and close
A rider who fell and broke her nose when a car passed her horse too fast and close says she will never ride on the roads again.
Kerri Davies was 300 yards from home in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, on her nine-year-old warmblood mare Margo on Saturday (23 November) when she heard a car approaching from behind.
“I thought the car sounded quite close and like it was coming too quickly; as it overtook, Margo moved to the side, hit it and the next thing, I was lying flat on the floor in a complete daze,” Kerri told H&H.
“Luckily a neighbour heard a commotion and caught Margo and took her into his garden.”
Kerri said she could not see properly for almost four minutes.
“I knew where I was but I couldn’t make out faces. I had head-butted the road when I fell and blood was running down my face. The car driver stopped and I could hear her screaming,” she said.
“An ambulance was called but luckily there was one nearby that someone flagged down. I was taken to hospital and kept in a neck brace for eight hours and given a CT scan.”
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Kerri broke her nose and needed four stitches to a wound on her head, but Margo was unscathed.
“Margo isn’t a spooky horse and in six years of using the road I’ve never had an incident but there’s no way I’ll ride on the roads again,” said Kerri. “I have to use the road to get to the bridleway but from now on I’ll box up and take Margo there. At the time it was terrifying, but it’s even worse now thinking if a car had been coming the other way what could have happened – I’m counting my lucky stars, it could have been so much worse.
“At the end of the day the driver didn’t mean for it to happen, it was a lack of education. She should have given me more time and space.”
Kerri posted about the incident on Facebook and said she received mixed responses from drivers.
“Most people were supportive but some said horses shouldn’t be on the road. I realise drivers don’t want to be hindered by horses but they need to be aware of the consequences; it’s someone’s life – it could have been my life or Margo’s. I’ve noticed drivers are becoming faster and not stopping for horses.
“It would be a good idea if more could be done in things like speed awareness courses so drivers are made to understand the possible implications of speeding past a horse.”
A spokesman for Thames Valley Police told H&H officers attended the scene but no charges have been brought.
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.